


Mum said it's my turn on the Switch.

by Samsonet



Series: Leon & Hop in Wyndon [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samsonet/pseuds/Samsonet
Summary: Sometimes, Leon's family comes to Wyndon to visithim.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop
Series: Leon & Hop in Wyndon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605913
Comments: 10
Kudos: 166





	Mum said it's my turn on the Switch.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year!
> 
> This takes place three years before SWSH. Hop is twelve, Leon is nineteen. 
> 
> And before you ask, I headcanon that artificial meat is common and normal in the Pokemon world. So don’t worry about it akshsjsjs

Sometimes, Leon’s family comes to Wyndon to visit _him._

Today’s one of those days. He’d been looking forward to it for a while, even cleaned up his flat so his mum and brother wouldn’t tease him for living in a mess. He’d gotten groceries. He’d gotten some new toys for Hop. It’ll be a good day, if it goes according to plan.

The doorbell rings.

“Hey!” Leon says, opening the door. “It’s so good to see yo—”

Hop slips under his arm and disappears down a hallway. A door slams.

“...is he okay?”

Their mum sighs. “He’s getting to the age where he’s too _cool_ to spend time with his family, that’s all. I’m sorry, Leon. Here, why don’t we cook together? He’ll come out if he smells his favourite food.”

She opens a few cabinets before she finds the pans.

It’s been too long since they’ve gotten to cook together. Leon remembers the first lessons, back when he was a little kid. He’d been so excited, thinking of adventures and new experiences, but Mum insisted on teaching him how to make curry before he left. He’d whined and complained, but he still followed her directions and came out with something pretty good.

Even now, he follows her directions, getting the meat and potatoes as she starts up the stove.

“You don’t have much silverware,” Mum observes. “Do you ever have company?”

“Heh. Nobody I cook for. Raihan and Nessa come over, sometimes, but we usually order takeaway.”

He stops halfway through mashing a potato, letting himself think. Why _doesn’t_ he ever cook for them? He’s capable of it. Years of being the man of the house ( _of being Hop’s second parent_ ) have given him the necessary skills. He might actually enjoy cooking alongside his friends, too.

But…

Cooking with someone, cooking for someone… It’s what he does with his family. If he did it with anyone else, it would be like having a new family. He’s not ready for that kind of intimacy.

“Something wrong, Leon?”

“Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry. It’s just… been awhile since we got to see each other, you know? I really missed you and Hop.”

Mum looks at him, an undefinable emotion in her eyes. 

She opens her arms. “Come here.”

He has to lean down and she has to stand on her toes, but the hug is warm and comfortable.

His mum steps back first. “Hop missed you too, you know. He’s such a lonely child.”

“Is that so…”

Hearing about Hop’s troubles always makes him feel guilty. As a big brother, he should be present whenever Hop needs him, not available over the phone from 3:00-3:30 on Tuesday and Thursday.

It’s not that he doesn’t care. Being champion just keeps him busy, and he lives so far away. He wishes things could be different, but...

“Are you sure you don’t want to move to Wyndon? I could get you a place, easy.”

“I know.” Mum stirs the potatoes. “Hop really likes his friend, though. He wouldn’t want to move away from her.”

Hop’s friend Gloria, the girl next door. Leon has never met her, but from the calls and letters he feels like he knows her well. She’s the best friend anyone could ask for. She’s super cute. She’s there for Hop, every birthday, every holiday. She’s the one he can go to when he makes a discovery or wants to try something new.

Not his big brother. _Her._

“Well… it’s good he has a friend, at least.”

Mum gives him a sad smile. “I can finish up from here. Why don’t you go tell Hop the food is almost ready? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind talking with you when boring old Mum isn’t there.”

“You’re not boring! But… okay. Love you, Mum.”

She nudges his head down and kisses his cheek. “I love you, too, Leon.”

Down the hallway is Leon’s bedroom. The door is closed, but not locked, and Leon has pushed it open an inch when he hears Hop’s voice on the other side.

“Wyndon is super awesome! At the station, there was this guy with a scarf, or I thought it was a scarf, and then it turned out it was a Sizzlipede! It spooked me! But the guy thought it was funny.”

There’s a girl’s voice, muffled through the wall.

That must be Gloria, he realizes. They’re on a video call.

Seriously? An hours-long trip across the region to come visit, and Hop’s first action on arrival was calling his friend? When did _she_ start becoming so important to him?

The darker side of him answers. _When you were gone and she wasn’t._

Leon simultaneously loves and hates her.

 _You should be happy about this,_ he tells himself. _It’s good for Hop to have a life outside of you. If something happens to you, he’ll be fine._

But is it wrong to want his brother to still miss him like a little kid?

“Knock, knock,” he calls, loudly enough that he hopes Gloria hears it. “I’m coming in!”

“SorryGlogottagobye!”

When he opens the door, he finds Hop innocently turning on the TV and starting up the gaming console.

Leon deadpans, “Mum said it’s my turn to use the Switch.”

“Hahaha… sorry, Lee, I really wanted to play this game and I couldn’t do it at home...”

“Really? Because I seem to remember buying you one just a few months ago.”

He’d bought one for Hop’s friend, too, because the price meant nothing to him and he wanted them to be able to play together. Is it petty to regret that?

“It’s not the same! Your place is so much nicer!”

“Well, then,” Leon says, sitting on the floor next to him. “Mind if I play with you?”

“Er…”

“Unless you think you’re too cool to hang out with your big brother, Galar’s undefeated champion.”

“O-of course not! You’re the coolest person I know!”

He loves to hear that — he always loves to hear Hop’s praise — but he can’t help but think of the abruptly-ended video call, the girl on the other side.

“Are you sure? It sounds like you’ve got someone else you’re a fan of, now.”

“Wha… You mean Gloria? No way! She’s just a friend!”

It’s adorable, really, the way Hop lets his emotions show on his face so easily. This is a kid who gets to grow up without always being followed by cameras, a kid who gets to be himself and not the person the region wants to see.

If Hop moves to Wyndon, that would change.

Maybe it’s a bit selfish of Leon, but he thinks it might be worth it.

He leans back, watching the game. “I asked Mum about this, but I want to ask you, too. Would you like to move to Wyndon? You could even live here, if you want. There’s plenty of space.”

“Wyndon is really nice,” Hop says. His character punches an NPC so hard, it flies off the screen. “An’ it would be nice to see you more, but…”

“But?”

“I’m Gloria’s only friend. I don’t wanna leave her alone.”

Aw, does Hopscotch have a _crush_? Leon considers teasing him about it, but decides on a more serious direction.

“You’re a good friend. But you can’t be her only friend forever, you know? You want to be champion someday, right? If you do, you have to move to Wyndon. Being champ has a lot of responsibilities.”

Responsibilities. Ugh. Sometimes Leon forgets that his brother is only twelve. That is much too young to have a dream ruined by thinking about _responsibilities._

“I guess what I’m saying is, if you want to move here, you can’t hold yourself back because of someone else. It wouldn’t be fair to either of you, you know?”

Hop seems thoughtful. “Yeah, I’ve thought about that. It was the same situation with you an’ Sonia, right? How did you guys make it work?”

“Er…”

They didn’t, that’s how. They’d been even closer than Hop and Gloria were, but after the championship, everything changed. Leon stayed in Wyndon and Sonia went home, and their calls became less frequent and their meetings rare.

He wonders how it must have been for Hop, to watch them slowly falling apart. Was it an adult who pointed out the parallel, or did he realize it himself? How old was he when he put the pieces together? 

_It happened while you were away._

Leon always won on the pitch, but it felt like he was always losing off of it.

He offers, “Well, growing up is hard. Things change, you know?”

Hop stares up at him, his honey-coloured eyes as all-knowing as ever. He’s obviously not buying it.

“When _I’m_ champion,” he whispers, “I’m gonna buy two flats right next to each other. I’ll have one and Gloria can have the other one, and we’ll still be friends and neighbours and nothing will change.”

_No, something will change. You will be champion and she won’t. That’s a big difference._

That's a mean thing to say, though. It’s a nice dream to have. Leon hopes for his brother’s sake that it comes true.

“Will I be invited to your new flat?”

Hop hums. “Sometimes.”

“Can I close myself in your room and play on _your_ Switch?”

Hop laughs, pulling off one of the controllers and handing it to him. “Okay, I get it. You can play. But I’m not going to go easy on you!”

“You better not!”

They start the first round of the multiplayer course.

Across Galar, there have to be hundreds of siblings spending time together. Exploring, training, reading, playing games. 

In Wyndon, here and now, Leon is with Hop. They’re playing together, immersed in the game, enjoying each others’ company and having a champion time.

**Author's Note:**

> Mum, knocking on the door during the eighth round: “Boys, the food has been ready for an hour. Are you coming or not?”
> 
> Leon and Hop, simultaneously: “Coming!”
> 
> *  
> *  
> *
> 
> Thanks for making 2019 fun, y'all. I'm looking forward to seeing how 2020 goes!
> 
> Also, I made a tumblr for my fics! You can find it @samsonet


End file.
